Method of navigating an amphibious aerial vehicle on water

ABSTRACT

A method of navigating a detached cabin of an UAV over water. The UAV having a plurality of lift propellers; a cabin engaged with a plurality of lift propellers; a water propulsion system engaged with the cabin to push the cabin in a forward direction when the cabin is at least partially immersed in water; at least one water inlet engaged with the water propulsion system; the cabin is a cargo hold or a passenger cabin. The UAV provided by the disclosure can realize vertical takeoff and landing in the water area, and fly, drive and navigate freely in the whole area.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) technology, inparticular to a method of navigating UAV on water.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Most of the existing VTOL UAVs adopts the mode of takeoff and landing onland, which is greatly affected by the land environment, especially inremote areas, areas with dense water network and coastal island areas.Most of the existing seaplanes adopt the takeoff and landing mode ofwater taxiing, which requires a large water area and does not have theability of water VTOL. The existing composite flying vehicles andamphibious vehicles are mostly road and air dual use or water and landdual use, but there is no triphibian composite UAV that can be used onland, in water and in the sky. The existing VTOL UAV takes off on land,but it cannot take off in water. The existing seaplanes use flight poweras the waterborne power source, but there is no special power system forpropulsion in the water area.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to a UAV with VTOL function, which is used tosolve the problem that the UAV in the prior art cannot take off and landvertically in the water area, or cannot fly, drive and navigate in allareas.

The disclosure provides a UAV with VTOL function, comprising:

A plurality of lift propellers;

A cabin engaged with a plurality of lift propellers;

A water propulsion system engaged with the cabin to push the cabin in aforward direction when the cabin is at least partially immersed inwater;

At least one water inlet engaged with the water propulsion system.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the water propulsion systemcomprises a motor and a water propeller.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the water propulsion system alsocomprises a cylinder, which is fixedly connected with the cabin, andprovided with an open end and a blocking end, with the axis parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the cabin, and the open end of the cylinderfaces the rear of the UAV; the water inlet is positioned on the sidewall of the cylinder;

The motor is positioned inside the cylinder, and the body of the motoris fixedly connected with the inner wall of the cylinder;

The water propeller is positioned inside the cylinder and close to theopen end of the cylinder, and the water propeller is connected with theoutput shaft of the motor.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the motor is an electric motor.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes a rudderengaged with the water propulsion system, which enables the traveldirection to be changed when the cabin is partially immersed in water.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the rudder has a vertically arrangedsheet structure, and the top and bottom ends of the sheet structure arehinged with the two parts opposite to the inner wall of the cylinder,respectively. The rudder is positioned downstream of the water propellerand can rotate around the hinge point with the cylinder to change thetravel direction of the UAV in the water area.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of lift propellers arearranged on the flight platform, and the cabin is detachably attached tothe bottom surface of the flight platform.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes a pair of mainwings engaged with the flight platform.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes a pair ofparallel linear supports engaged with a pair of main wings.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of lift propellers arearranged on a pair of parallel linear supports.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes a floatingdevice engaged with the cabin to allow the cabin to float on the water;wherein, when the cabin is separated from the flight platform, the cabincan navigate in water.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the floating device comprises a longstrip structure capable of inflation and deflation, with its lengthdirection parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cabin, and there aretwo long strip structures, which are arranged on the left and rightsides of the cabin along the width direction of the cabin, respectively;and/or,

The floating device comprises a plurality of air bags that can beinflated and deflated, and a plurality of air bags are evenly arrangedon the left and right sides of the cabin.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes the firstenergy storage unit arranged in the cabin, and the first energy storageunit is configured to supply energy to the water propulsion system.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the cabin or the flight platform hasa disengagement mechanism which allows for selectively separating thecabin from the flight platform during operation.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes a user controlinterface inside the cabin for passengers to manually control the waterpropulsion system, wherein the cabin is a passenger cabin.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the UAV also includes the secondenergy storage unit arranged in the flight platform, and the flightplatform is arranged to fly without being attached to the cabin.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the cabin has at least one electricwheel, and the electric wheel is configured to move the cabin on theground.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the flight platform has at least oneelectric wheel, which is configured to move the flight platform on theground without being attached to the cabin.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the cabin is a cargo cabin or apassenger cabin.

The disclosure provides a UAV with vertical take-off and landingfunction, which comprises a plurality of lift propellers; a cabinengaged with a plurality of lift propellers; a water propulsion systemengaged with the cabin to push the cabin in a forward direction when thecabin is at least partially immersed in water; at least one water inletengaged with the water propulsion system; wherein, the cabin is a cargohold or a passenger cabin. The UAV with VTOL function provided by thedisclosure realizes the purpose of UAV navigation in the water area byinstalling a water propeller at the rear of the manned cargo hold,completes the mode of VTOL in the water area by means of the VTOLsystem, and realizes the purpose of VTOL in the water area. It canrealize the triphibian composite application function of the UAV byinstalling the water propeller at the rear of the manned cabin andinstalling the landing gear electric taxi wheel in the manned cabin. Themodes of dual regions, such as water and land, road and air, water andair, may also be changed freely to realize the flight, driving andnavigation capacity in all regions. The purpose of UAV navigation in thewater may be realized through the water propeller installed at the rearof UAV manned cabin.

Although the specifications contain many details of specificimplementations, they should not be interpreted as limitations on anydisclosure or the scope of protection that can be claimed, but as adescription of the characteristics of specific implementations forspecific embodiments. Some characteristics described in the context ofdifferent implementations in the specifications may also be combined inseparate implementations. On the contrary, various characteristicsdescribed in the context of separate implementations may also beimplemented in multiple implementations alone or in any suitablesub-combination. Further, although characteristics may be described asfunctioning in certain combinations and even initially in the context,in some cases, one or more characteristics from the described/claimedcombination may be removed from the combination, and thedescribed/claimed combination may be a sub-combination or a change tothe sub-combination.

Many implementations have been described. However, it should beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, the exampleoperations, methods, or processes described herein may include more orless steps than those described. In addition, the steps in these exampleoperations, methods, or processes may be performed in a different mannerthan those described or shown in the drawings.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin the disclosure are described in the drawings and the followingdescription. Other characteristics, aspects and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent according to the specifications,drawings and technical solution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It should be noted that the drawings may be in a simplified form and maynot be shown in an accurate scale. With reference to the disclosureherein, for convenience and clarity only, and with reference to thedrawings, directional terms such as top, bottom, left, right, up, down,upward, above, downward, below, rear, front, distal and proximal areused. These directional terms should not be interpreted as limiting thescope of the embodiments in any way.

FIG. 1 a is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a VTOL UAV systemwith a cabin and a water propulsion system according to one aspect ofthe embodiment;

FIG. 1 b is a partially enlarged view of the UAV system of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 1 c is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a VTOL UAV systemwith a flight platform and a cabin according to one aspect of theembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top rear perspective view of the UAV system of FIG. 1 c;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the UAV system of FIG. 1 c;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a VTOL UAVsystem with a flight platform and a detachable attached cabin accordingto one aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the UAV system of FIG. 4 according to one aspectof the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the UAV system of FIG. 4 according to oneaspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the embodiment of a VTOL UAV systemwith a flight platform and a detachable attached cabin according to oneaspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the UAV system of FIG. 7 according to oneaspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the UAV system of FIG. 7 accordingto one aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the UAV system of FIG. 7 accordingto one aspect of the embodiment, wherein the cabin is separated from theflight platform and parked on the ground;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7 accordingto one aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of another embodiment according toone aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a side bottom perspective view of another embodiment of a UAVsystem according to one aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a UAV system accordingto another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a close-up view of the surrounding area in FIG. 14 accordingto another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a side view of one embodiment of a UAV system according toanother aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a front view of one embodiment of a UAV system according toanother aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a rear view of one embodiment of a UAV system according toanother aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a bottom view of one embodiment of a UAV system according toanother aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a flight platformaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a side view of another embodiment of a flight platformaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a front view of another embodiment of a flight platformaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 23 is a rear view of another embodiment of a flight platformaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a bottom view of another embodiment of a flight platformaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a side view of another embodiment of a passenger cabinaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of apassenger cabin according to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a front view of another embodiment of a passenger cabinaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 28 is a rear view of another embodiment of a passenger cabinaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a bottom view of another embodiment of a passenger cabinaccording to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 30 is a side view of another embodiment of a flight platformattached to a cargo hold according to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a flight platformwithout a propulsion propeller according to another aspect of theembodiment;

FIG. 32 is a side view of another embodiment of a passenger cabin havinga propulsion propeller according to another aspect of the embodiment;

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a flying UAVsystem wherein six floating devices are inflated;

FIG. 34 is a side view of the flying UAV of FIG. 33 ;

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the configuration of an aileron of a UAV;

FIG. 36 is a graphical illustration of the physical relationship betweenthe motor, the cylinder, and the water propeller;

FIG. 37 is a graphical illustration of the physical relationship betweenthe rudder, the cylinder, and the water propeller.

When referring to the elements of the reference signs, in all thedrawings of the specifications, the same components are represented bythe same reference signs:

100—UAV; 101—Flight platform; 102—Main body; 103A—Left linear support;103B—Right linear support; 104A—Left main wing; 104B—Right main wing;105A—Left front wing; 105B—Right front wing; 106A—Left verticalstabilizer; 106B—Right vertical stabilizer; 107—Propulsion propeller;107A—Left propulsion propeller; 107B—Right propulsion propeller;108A—First lift propeller; 108B—Second lift propeller; 108C—Third liftpropeller; 108D—Fourth lift propeller; 108E—Fifth lift propeller;108F—Sixth lift propeller; 109A—Left wingtip propeller; 109B—Rightwingtip propeller; 110A—Left wingtip vertical stabilizer; 110B—Rightwingtip vertical stabilizer; 111A—Left folding leg; 111B—Right foldingleg; 112A—First spring leaf; 112B—Second spring leaf; 112C—Third springleaf; 112D—Fourth spring leaf; 116—Vertical extender; 117—Centralpropulsion propeller; 130—Cargo hold; 135 a—First cabin spring leaf;135B—Second cabin spring leaf; 135C—Third cabin spring leaf; 135D—Fourthcabin spring leaf; 140—Passenger cabin; 145A—Cabin leg; 145B—Cabin leg;145C—Cabin leg; 145D—Cabin leg; 147—Cabin attachment latch; 148—Electricwheel; 149—Housing; 150—Energy storage unit in the flight platform;155—In-cabin energy storage unit; 160—Floating device; 170—Waterpropulsion system; 180—Water propeller; 190—Water inlet; 200—Electricwheel steering device; 201A—Left dorsal fin; 201B—Right dorsal fin;211A—Left additional lift propeller; 211B—Right additional liftpropeller; 212—Aileron.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, by turning to the detailed description of the followingembodiments, we may better understand different aspects of variousembodiments, which are presented as illustrative examples of theembodiments defined in the technical solution of the specifications. Itis clearly understood that the embodiments defined by the technicalsolution of the specifications may be wider than the illustratedembodiments described below.

The terms used to describe various embodiments in the specificationsshall be understood as not only having the meaning of their commondefinitions, but also including special definitions in the structure,material or behavior in the specifications that are beyond the meaningof the usual definitions. Therefore, if an element can be understood toinclude more than one meaning in the context of the specifications, itsuse in the technical solution of the specifications must be understoodto be common to all possible meanings supported by the specificationsand the terms themselves.

The term “UAV” is defined as a flight transportation system with atleast one propeller as a propulsion source. The term “UAV” may include“manned” and “unmanned” flight transport systems. Manned UAV may referto a flight transportation system, which carries human passengers whohave no control over UAV. Manned UAV may also refer to a flighttransportation system that carries human passengers, some or one ofwhich have or has some control over the UAV.

For example, in the background of the disclosure, the existing VTOL UAVhas the problem that it cannot take off and land vertically in the waterarea or cannot fly, drive and navigate in all areas. In order to solvethe above problems, the disclosure provides a UAV with VTOL function,comprising: a plurality of lifting propellers; a cabin engaged with aplurality of lift propellers; a water propulsion system engaged with thecabin to push the cabin in a forward direction when the cabin is atleast partially immersed in water; at least one water inlet engaged withthe water propulsion system; among them, the cabin is cargo hold orpassenger cabin.

The technical solution of the disclosure is described in detail below incombination with the specific drawings.

FIG. 1 a is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a VTOL UAV systemwith a cabin and a water propulsion system according to one aspect ofthe embodiment; FIG. 1 b is a partially enlarged view of the UAV systemof FIG. 1 a ; FIG. 1 c is a top perspective view of an embodiment of aVTOL UAV system with a flight platform and a cabin according to oneaspect of the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a top rear perspective view of theUAV system of FIG. 1 c ; FIG. 3 is a side view of the UAV system of FIG.1 c ; FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a VTOLUAV system with a flight platform and a detachable attached cabinaccording to one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a top view of theUAV system of FIG. 4 according to one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 6is a front view of the UAV system of FIG. 4 according to one aspect ofthe embodiment; FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the embodiment of aVTOL UAV system with a flight platform and a detachable attached cabinaccording to one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 8 is a front view of theUAV system of FIG. 7 according to one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 9is a rear perspective view of the UAV system of FIG. 7 according to oneaspect of the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the UAVsystem of FIG. 7 according to one aspect of the embodiment, wherein thecabin is separated from the flight platform and parked on the ground;FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 7 accordingto one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view ofanother embodiment according to one aspect of the disclosure; FIG. 13 isa side bottom perspective view of another embodiment of a UAV systemaccording to one aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 14 is a perspective viewof an embodiment of a UAV system according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 15 is a close-up view of the surrounding area in FIG.14 according to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 16 is a side viewof one embodiment of a UAV system according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 17 is a front view of one embodiment of a UAV systemaccording to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 18 is a rear view ofone embodiment of a UAV system according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 19 is a bottom view of one embodiment of a UAV systemaccording to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 20 is a perspectiveview of another embodiment of a flight platform according to anotheraspect of the embodiment; FIG. 21 is a side view of another embodimentof a flight platform according to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG.22 is a front view of another embodiment of a flight platform accordingto another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 23 is a rear view of anotherembodiment of a flight platform according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 24 is a bottom view of another embodiment of a flightplatform according to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 25 is aside view of another embodiment of a passenger cabin according toanother aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective viewof another embodiment of a passenger cabin according to another aspectof the embodiment; FIG. 27 is a front view of another embodiment of apassenger cabin according to another aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 28is a rear view of another embodiment of a passenger cabin according toanother aspect of the embodiment; FIG. 29 is a bottom view of anotherembodiment of a passenger cabin according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 30 is a side view of another embodiment of a flightplatform attached to a cargo hold according to another aspect of theembodiment; FIG. 31 is a perspective view of another embodiment of aflight platform without a propulsion propeller according to anotheraspect of the embodiment; FIG. 32 is a side view of another embodimentof a passenger cabin having a propulsion propeller according to anotheraspect of the embodiment; FIG. 33 is a perspective view of anotherembodiment of a flying UAV system wherein six floating devices areinflated; FIG. 34 is a side view of the flying UAV of FIG. 33 ; FIG. 35is a diagram showing the configuration of an aileron of a UAV.

FIG. 1 a is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a VTOL UAV systemwith a cabin and a water propulsion system according to one aspect ofthe embodiment. FIG. 1 b is a partially enlarged view of the UAV systemof FIG. 1 a . The UAV 100 comprises at least a plurality of liftpropellers 108A, 108B, 108C, 108D, 108E and 108F; cabins 130 and 140engaged with a plurality of lift propellers 108A, 108B, 108C, 108D, 108Eand 108F; a water propulsion system 170 engaged with cabins 130 and 140to push the cabins 130 and 140 in a forward direction when the cabins130 and 140 are at least partially immersed in water; at least one waterinlet 190 engaged with the water propulsion system; among them, thecabin is cargo cabin 130 or passenger cabin 140.

The UAV provided by the disclosure can realize VTOL in the water areaand fly, drive and navigate freely in all areas.

FIG. 1 c generally depicts an embodiment of a VTOL UAV 100 with a frontwing configuration. The UAV shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 c have partiallythe same structural configuration. The component characteristics of theUAV shown in the drawings may be combined freely, and the drawings areonly exemplary.

The UAV 100 of FIG. 1 c may have two main wings 104A, 104B and two frontwings 105A, 105B. Two main wings 104A, 104B and two front wings 105A,105B may be attached to the main body 102, wherein the main body may bepositioned along the central longitudinal line of the UAV 100. There mayalso be a left linear support 103A arranged parallel to the main body102, and the left main wing 104A may be connected to the left front wing105A. Similarly, there may also be a right linear support 103B arrangedparallel to the main body 102, and the right main wing 104B may beconnected to the right front wing 105B. Among them, the front wing ofthe UAV mainly controls the flight attitude of the UAV during flight,such as controlling the pitch of the UAV. As the largest wing on bothsides of the fuselage, the main wing of the UAV is usually used togenerate lift to support the UAV flying in the air, and also plays acertain role in stabilization and control.

In another embodiment, the UAV 100 is not configured with a front wing.In contrast, the UAV 100 may have two main wings and two ailerons, allof which are joined together to form a flight platform.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 35 , the aileron 121 of the UAV maybe arranged on the rear side of the main wing 104B, and there may be atleast one aileron, preferably two, in sheet structure, which can move upand down to control the roll of the UAV.

The left and right linear supports 103A and 103B are expected to improvethe structural integrity of the UAV 100. In other embodiments, the leftand right linear supports 103A and 103B may accommodate drive motors(not shown) driving each of lift propellers 108A, 108B, 108C, 108D, 108Eand 108F. Therefore, the left and right linear supports 103A and 103Bmay be used to fix the lift propellers and reduce the use of UAVcomponents. While simplifying the structural components of the UAV, theleft and right linear supports 103A and 103B can also improve theoverall strength of the UAV because they are engaged with two frontwings and two main wings. As will be disclosed later, the left and rightlinear supports 103A and 103B may also accommodate folding legs 111,each folding leg retractable into the left and right linear supports103A and 103B.

In one embodiment, the left and right linear supports 103A and 103B areattached to the distal ends of the left and right front wings 105A and105B, respectively. In another embodiment, the left and right linearsupports 103A and 103B extend beyond the front wings 105A and 105B.

In one embodiment, the left and right linear supports 103A and 103B areattached near the middle portions of the left and right main wings 104Aand 104B, respectively. In another embodiment, the left and right linearsupports 103A and 103B extend in a rearward direction beyond the mainwings 104A and 104B.

The left linear support 103A is expected to be relatively narrow indiameter and may have a plurality of lift propellers 108A, 108B and 108Carranged on the top side, bottom side, or both of the left linearsupport 103A. These lift propellers 108A, 108B and 108C may be driven bya low profile electric motor arranged in the hollow interior of the leftlinear support 103A. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 c , the liftpropellers 108A, 108B and 108C are only arranged on the top side of theleft linear support 103A. It should be noted that the number of liftpropellers shown in the figure is only for illustrative purposes. Thedisclosure does not limit the number. In practice, the number of liftpropellers may be increased or decreased according to demand. Similarly,the right linear support 103B is expected to be relatively narrow indiameter and may have a plurality of lift propellers 108D, 108E and 108Farranged on the top side, bottom side or both of the right linearsupport 103B. These lift propellers 108D, 108E and 108F may be driven bya low profile electric motor arranged in the hollow interior of theright linear support. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 c , the liftpropellers 108D, 108E and 108F are only arranged on the top side of theright linear support 103B. It should be noted that the number of liftpropellers shown in the figure is only for illustrative purposes. Thedisclosure does not limit the number. In practice, lift propellers maybe increased or decreased according to demand.

In one embodiment, the UAV of FIG. 1 a may include a left dorsal fin201A and a right dorsal fin 201B, wherein the left dorsal fin 201A isarranged between any two of a plurality of lift propellers 108A, 108Band 108C on the left linear support 103A, and the right dorsal fin isarranged between any two of a plurality of lift propellers 108D, 108Eand 108F on the right linear support 103B. Each of the left dorsal fin201A and the right dorsal fin 201B has additional lift propellers 211Aand 211B arranged thereon. The additional lift propeller arranged oneach of the left and right dorsal fins may be arranged on the top endsof the left and right dorsal fins, respectively, the base of each of theleft and right dorsal fins may at least partially overlap the left andright main wings, respectively, and each of the left and right dorsalfins has a backward inclined plane. The additional lift propellerarranged on each of the left dorsal fin and the right dorsal fin has arotation coverage area, which partially overlaps the rotation coveragearea of the lift propeller arranged immediately behind each dorsal finand arranged on the corresponding left linear support and right linearsupport.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may have at least one propulsionpropeller 107 to push the UAV 100 in a forward direction. In oneembodiment shown in FIG. 1 c , there may be two propulsion propellers107A and 107B. The two propulsion propellers 107A and 107B may bearranged on the rear and distal ends of the linear supports 103A and103B, respectively.

Alternatively, the manned cabin 140 may be installed below the VTOL UAV100, the water propeller 180 is installed at the rear of the cabin 140as a propeller, and the landing gear electric wheel is installed underthe landing gear of the cabin 140.

In one embodiment, the water propulsion system 170 may comprise a motor(not shown) and a water propeller 180. The motor is used to providepower for the water propeller 180, thereby realizing the VTOL of the UAVin the water area.

In one possible implementation, the water propulsion system 170 alsoincludes a cylinder, which is fixedly connected with the cabin. Forexample, the cylinder and the cabin may be made into one piece. Thecylinder is provided with an open end and a blocking end, the axis ofthe cylinder is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cabin, and theopen end of the cylinder faces the rear of the UAV 100, that is, thecylinder is arranged horizontally and the open end of the cylinder facesthe right. The water inlet 190 is positioned on the side wall of thecylinder so that water can flow into the cylinder from the water inlet190. The motor is positioned inside the cylinder, and the body of themotor is fixedly connected with the inner wall of the cylinder. Forexample, the motor and the cylinder may be connected by fasteners suchas screws.

FIG. 1 b shows that the water propeller 180 is positioned inside thecylinder and close to the right end of the cylinder, that is, the openend. The water propeller 180 is driven and connected with an outputshaft 175 (see FIG. 36 ) of the electric motor, so that when the outputshaft 175 of the electric motor rotates, the water will flow in from thewater inlet 190 of the cylinder and flow out from the open end of thecylinder. The left thrust generated in the process of water flow pushesthe UAV 100 to navigate in the water area. For example, those skilled inthe art may use the propeller as the water propeller 180 to enable waterto flow from the water inlet 190 of the cylinder and out from the openend of the cylinder through the rotation of the propeller.

In one embodiment, the motor of the water propulsion system 170 may bean electric motor. The electric motor is selected as the motor of thewater propulsion system 170 because of its characteristics of low noise,long endurance and easy maintenance.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include a rudder 176 engagedwith the water propulsion system 170, through which the travel directioncan be changed when the cabin is partially immersed in water. By addinga rudder 176 on the UAV, its travel direction can be controlled when theUAV travels in the water, thereby helping flexibly expand the movementrange of the UAV 100.

For example, in FIG. 37 , the rudder 176 has a vertically arranged sheetstructure, and the top and bottom ends of the sheet structure are hingedwith the two parts opposite to the inner wall 178 of the cylinder,respectively. The rudder 176 is positioned downstream of the waterpropeller 180 and can rotate around the hinge point 177 with thecylinder. When the water propeller 180 drives the water to move from thesurface of the rudder 176, it is possible to change the travel directionof the UAV 100 in the water area by changing the flow directionaccording to the rotation position of the rudder 176.

In one embodiment, a plurality of lift propellers 108A, 108B, 108C,108D, 108E and 108F may be arranged on the flight platform 101, and thecabins 130 and 140 are detachably attached to the bottom surface of theflight platform 101. Through the above setting method, the structure ofthe UAV may be flexibly adjusted. According to the actual situation, thecabin may be installed when necessary and disassembled when unnecessaryin order to flexibly use the UAV in response to different needs andimprove its adaptability.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include a pair of main wings104A and 104B engaged with the flight platform 101. The main wingsengaged with the flight platform allows for free flight of the UAV.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include a pair of parallellinear supports 103A and 103B engaged with a pair of main wings 104A and104B. Further engagement with linear supports on the main wing mayimprove the flight stability of the UAV.

In one embodiment, a plurality of lift propellers 108 a, 108 b, 108 c,108D, 108 e, 108 f may be arranged on a pair of parallel linear supports103 a and 103 b. Multiple lift propellers can provide upward or downwardpower for the UAV, so as to ensure that the UAV can move up and down inthe vertical direction.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include a floating device 160engaged with the cabins 130 and 140 which allows the cabins 130 and 140to float on the water; wherein, when the cabins 130 and 140 areseparated from the flight platform 101, the cabins 130 and 140 cannavigate in the water. In one embodiment, the floating device 160 may bekept in the deflated state and expand only when certain conditionstrigger inflation. For example, the floating device 160 may beautomatically inflated during an emergency landing; it maybe inflatedautomatically when landing on water; when any landing gear fails in someaspect, it maybe inflated. Setting the floating device may allow thecabin to float on the water so that the buoyancy of water can drive thecabin, thereby reducing the burden of the UAV and saving powerconsumption.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include the first energy storageunit arranged in the cabin, which is configured to supply energy to thewater propulsion system 170. The energy storage unit maybe arranged tosupply energy to the water propulsion system so as to guarantee the freenavigation of the UAV in the water.

In one embodiment, the cabins 130 and 140 or the flight platform 101 mayhave a disengagement mechanism which allows for selectively separatingthe cabins 130 and 140 from the flight platform 101 during operation.Such mechanism may allow for the separation of the cabins according tothe needs so as to further improve the adaptability of the UAV todifferent flight environments. The engagement and disengagement betweenthe flight platform 101 and the cabin 140 may be performed autonomouslyby a computer and/or other sensors and computing devices (withoutsimultaneous user intervention). Alternatively or optionally, the usermay actively control and guide the engagement and disengagement betweenthe flight platform 101 and the cabin 140.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include a user control interfaceinside the cabins 130 and 140 for passengers to manually control thewater propulsion system 170, wherein the cabin is the passenger cabin140. The user control interface as arranged may realize the interactionbetween passengers and the UAV in a friendly way, so as to control theheading of the UAV and improve the user experience.

In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may also include the second energystorage unit arranged in the flight platform, and the flight platform101 is arranged to fly without being attached to the cabins 130 and 140.The second energy storage unit arranged for the flight platform may beused as the supplementary energy to provide power for the flightplatform so as to improve the reliability and safety of the flightplatform.

In one embodiment, the cabins 130 and 140 may be provided with at leastone electric wheel 148 which is configured to move the cabins 130 and140 on the ground. The electric wheel may be arranged easily for thecabin to improve the mobility of the cabin.

In one embodiment, the flight platform 101 may be provided with at leastone electric wheel 148 which is arranged to move the flight platform 101on the ground without being attached to the cabins 130 and 140. Sucharrangement may further the mobility of the flight platform and expandthe activity range of the UAV, allowing it to be applied in morescenarios.

The VTOL UAV provided by the disclosure may use a lift propeller torealize vertical takeoff and landing; the land driving ability may berealized through the landing gear electric wheel under the fuselage; awater propeller is installed at the rear of the cabin to offer it thecapability of driving in the water.

The VTOL UAV provided by the disclosure has the advantages of compactdesign, high integration, light weight and simple structure so that itmay realize the triphibian operation in water, land and air with onemodel. It is less affected by site factors such as terrain, and itsenvironmental adaptability is better than the model with single functionor two functions. The above components and corresponding functions maybe used in a separate application environment or a composite applicationenvironment. The whole UAV adopts modular design, which allows forremoving a module at any time to realize the takeoff and landingfunction in the corresponding region.

When the lift propeller of the VTOL UAV provided by the disclosure is apneumatic one, the UAV can complete the vertical takeoff and landing andfly in the sky. When it reaches the predetermined flight height, it willbe switched to the fixed wing mode to push the propeller pneumatically,and the UAV will begin to fly; When the UAV lands on the water surfaceor sea water, the water propeller at the rear of the manned passengercabin will start to propel the UAV to navigate in the water; when theUAV lands in the land area, the electric wheel under the landing gear ofthe manned passenger cabin will start, in which case the UAV can driveon land. Therefore, the UAV with VTOL function provided by thedisclosure can achieve the purpose of the UAV navigation in the waterarea through a water propeller arranged at the rear of the manned cargohold, complete the VTOL in the water area through the VTOL system andachieve the purpose of vertical takeoff and landing in the water area,and achieve the function of water-land-air triphibian compositeapplication through the water propeller installed at the rear of themanned passenger cabin and the landing gear electric taxi wheelinstalled in the manned passenger cabin. Among them, two areas such aswater-land, road-air, and water-air may also be freely changed torealize the ability of flying, driving and navigation in all area. Thewater propeller installed at the rear of the manned passenger cabin mayachieve the purpose of UAV navigation in water area.

In another embodiment, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 31 , theflight platform 101 may not be provided with the propulsion propeller.In such an embodiment, the flight platform 101 may be attached to apassenger cabin or cargo hold on which a propulsion propeller isprovided. FIG. 32 shows an embodiment of a passenger cabin with apropulsion propeller arranged at its rear end. When the passenger cabinis attached to the flight platform 101 of FIG. 31 , the propulsionpropeller will be push forward the flight platform 101.

Two vertical stabilizers 106A and 106B may be arranged near the rear endof each of linear supports 103A and 103B, respectively. Although theyare shown pointing downward, there may also be embodiments in which theypoint upward.

In another embodiment, each of main wings 104A and 104B may have wingtiplift propellers 109A and 109B, respectively, arranged at the distal endthereof. This can be achieved by providing wingtip vertical stabilizers110A and 110B at the distal ends of the main wings 104A and 104B,respectively, and having lift propellers 109A and 109B arranged at theupper tip of each of wingtip vertical stabilizers 110A and 110B. Thesewingtip lift propellers 109A and 109B may be relatively smaller than thelift propellers provided on the linear supports 103A and 103B.

These wingtip lift propellers 109A and 109B may be used to control therolling of the UAV 100 in an effective and efficient manner. Thesewingtip lift propellers 109A and 109B are positioned at the farthestposition away from the central axis of the UAV 100, which is effectivein adjusting the rolling of the UAV 100, and it can be achieved with adiameter smaller than that of other lift propellers.

As further shown in FIG. 1 c , there is a cabin 130 normally attachedbelow the main body 102 of the UAV 100.

Now, referring to the details of FIG. 2 , the UAV 100 is expected to useany type of landing gear. In one embodiment, the UAV 100 may have foursingle leaf springs 112A, 112B, 112C and 112D as its landing gear. Thefirst two single leaf springs 112A and 112C are arranged on the distalends of the folding legs 111A and 111B, respectively. During flight, thefolding legs 111A and 111B may be retracted into the internal space ofthe left and right linear supports 103A and 103B, respectively.

The two left single leaf springs 112B and 112D at the rear are expectedto be arranged at the distal ends of the bottom of the verticalstabilizers 106A and 106B, respectively.

The expected single leaf springs 112A, 112B, 112C and 112D may be madeof suitable materials to provide sufficient elasticity and integrity,including natural and synthetic polymers, various metals and metalalloys, natural materials, textile fibers, and all reasonablecombinations thereof. In one embodiment, carbon fibers are adopted.

Now turning to FIG. 3 , it shows a cabin as cargo hold 130. The cargohold 130 may have single leaf springs 135A, 135B, 135C and 135D as itslanding gear. Alternatively, it may have other types of landing gear,such as rails, legs, and wheels.

In the intended embodiment, the cargo hold 130 may be disassembled fromthe rest of the UAV 100. The rest of the UAV may be referred to asflight platform 101. The flight platform 101 may fly without a cabin,and it may carry different cabins interchangeably. As will be describedlater, the flight platform 101 may also carry a passenger cabin.

In the example shown, all cabins 130 and 140 are carried below theflight platform 101. It is expected that the cabins 130 and 140 areloaded on the ground, and the loading process may be completed before orafter the flight platform 101 is attached to the cabins 130 and 140.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the flight platform 101. It may have asubstantially flat structure and can carry a load below or above it.During high-speed flight, all six lift propellers 108A, 108B, 108C,108D, 108E and 108F may be locked in place so that each left is parallelto the main body 102.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the flight platform 101 wherein the lengthof the front wings 105A and 105B is not longer than half the length ofeach of main wings 104A and 104B.

FIG. 6 generally depicts a front view of the flight platform 101 with adetachably attached cargo hold 130. Whether it is cargo hold 130,passenger cabin 140 or any other type of load, it is particularlyexpected that there may be an energy storage unit 150 provided in themain body 102 of the flight platform. The stored energy may be used topower other components of the flight platform, such as lift propellers108A, 108B, 108C and 108D and propulsion propellers 107A and 107B. Thestored energy may be electricity, and the storage unit is a battery. Inanother embodiment, the energy storage 150 may be used to poweraccessories in cabins 130 and 140.

The battery 150 may also be provided in other parts of the flightplatform 101, such as in linear supports 103A and 103B.

Alternatively or optionally, there may be an energy storage unit 155provided in the cabins 130 and 140. The energy stored in the storageunit 155 may be used to power the lift propellers 108A, 108B, 108C and108D and the propulsion propellers 107A and 107B. The stored energy maybe electricity, and the storage unit is a battery. By having an energystorage unit 155 in the cabins 130 and 140, the flight platform 101 willhave a supplementary energy source whenever the flight platform 101carries new cabins 130 and 140. The flight platform 101 itself may be anemergency energy storage or a small capacity battery 150 to providepower to the flight platform 101 in a short time when the flightplatform 101 flies without cabins 130 and 140. In one embodiment, themain power supply of the flight platform 101 comes from the battery 150positioned in the cabins 130 and 140. In this way, when the old cabins130 and 140 are replaced with the new cabins 130 and 140 in the flightplatform 101, the flight platform 101 or the whole VTOL UAV system 100will have a fully charged energy source. This is a useful method, andthere is no need for VTOL UAV to charge itself. In a preferredembodiment, the flight platform 101 can work/fly continuously for hoursor even days, pick up the cargo hold/passenger cabin, and unload thecargo hold/passenger cabin without stopping to charge its battery.

Now, referring to the details of FIG. 7 , a passenger cabin 150 isprovided. The passenger cabin 150 may use any type of landing gear, suchas rigid legs 145A, 145B, 145C, and 145D as shown in the figure.

FIG. 10 generally depicts an aspect of the disclosure, wherein the cabin(whether cargo hold or passenger cabin) is detachable. Here, the cabin140 may be selectively separated from the flight platform 101. Theengagement and disengagement between the flight platform 101 and thecabin 140 may be performed autonomously by a computer and/or othersensors and computing devices (without simultaneous user intervention).Alternatively or optionally, the user may actively control and guide theengagement and disengagement between the flight platform 101 and thecabin 140.

As ordinary people skilled in the art will recognize, various types ofengagement mechanisms 147 may be used to secure the cabin 140 to theflight platform 101. For example, the engagement mechanism may bemechanical latch, magnetic latch, track and groove, or any combinationof known engagement methods.

It is important to understand that, in addition to having two propulsionpropellers 107A and 107B (as shown in FIG. 11 ), alternatively oroptionally, there may be a central propulsion propeller 117 connected tothe rear end of the body 102 (as shown in FIG. 12 ). As shown in FIG. 12, the central push propeller 117 is engaged to the rear end of the mainbody 102 through the vertical expander 116. The vertical expander 116may be any structure of any shape to be physically engaged with thepropulsion propeller 117 so that the rotation center of the propulsionpropeller 117 deviates vertically from the main body 102. In anotherembodiment, the propulsion propeller 117 deviates vertically from themain body 102 so that the rotation center of the propulsion propeller117 is vertically flush with the rear of the cabin 140. In anotherembodiment, the propulsion propeller 117 is vertically flush with thetop of the cabin 140. In another embodiment, the propulsion propeller117 is vertically flush with the middle of the cabin 140. In a furtherembodiment, the propulsion propeller 117 is vertically flush with thebottom of the cabin 140.

What is not shown in any figure of the embodiment is that the propulsionpropellers 107A and 107B are not provided at the ends of the linearsupports 103A and 103B, respectively. On the contrary, only onepropulsion propeller 117 is engaged with the rear end of the main body102.

It may be also envisaged that each of linear supports 103A and 103B mayinclude more than three lift propellers by providing longer linearsupports to accommodate more lift propellers, by using lift propellersof smaller diameter, or by arranging lift propellers on both the top andbottom sides of the linear support. FIG. 13 shows an embodiment whereintwo additional lift propellers 108G and 108H are arranged at the frontend of the bottom of the linear supports 103A and 103B.

Although the propulsion propellers 107A and 107B have been shown in theprevious figure to be positioned at the rear distal end of the linearsupports 103A and 103B, it is particularly expected that thesepropulsion propellers 107A and 107B may be arranged at a horizontalplane lower than the main wings 104A and 104B, such as those shown inFIG. 13 . On one hand, these propulsion propellers 107A and 107B may bearranged at a level substantially equal to the cabins 130 and 140carried by the flight platform. On the other, these propulsionpropellers 107A and 107B may be arranged in the middle of the verticalstabilizers 106A and 106B. One expected reason for reducing thearrangement of propulsion propellers 107A and 107B is to minimize thehead dipping effect during flight, which may be caused by theaerodynamic effect caused by cabins 130 and 140.

FIGS. 14 to 30 show an embodiment wherein the flight platform 101 or thecabins 130 and 140 or both may have an electric wheel 148 attachedthereto. In the embodiment of FIG. 14 , the flight platform 101 has anelectric wheel 148; the cabins 130 and 140 also have electric wheels.Now referring to the embodiment of FIG. 15 , a single electric wheelunit 148 may have an electric motor enclosed in the housing 149, and theelectric motor may be driven by power supplied by the energy storageunit 150 provided in the cabins 130 and 140.

It is envisaged that the electric wheel 148 may move the flight platform101 and the cabin 130 on the ground when they are parked on the ground.This allows the cabin 130 or 140 to move away from the flight platform101 and allows the other one of cabin 130 or 140 to move itself to theflight platform 101 for engagement.

Alternatively, this may allow the flight platform 101 to move away fromthe cabin 130 and towards another cabin for engagement. In oneembodiment, each cabin 130, 140 may have an energy storage unit 155 sothat when the flight platform 101 is engaged with the new and fullycharged cabins 130, 140, the flight platform 101 will basicallysupplement its energy source.

In some embodiments of the disclosed unmanned aircraft system, at leastone floating device 160 may be provided, which is engaged with at leastany of the cargo hold 130, the passenger cabin 140 and the flightplatform 101. The floating device may be of a type that needs to beactuated, that is, actively inflated with gas or material when required.In other words, in this particular embodiment, the floating device 160may remain in the deflated state and expand only when certain conditionstrigger inflation. For example, the floating device 160 mayautomatically inflate during an emergency landing; it may inflateautomatically when landing on water; when any landing gear fails in someaspect, it may be inflated.

Many known types of inflation mechanisms or airbag mechanisms may beimplemented to achieve the needs and configuration of the disclosedfloating device 160. The expected floating device 160 may be of a typethat can be reused, re-inflated and re-deflated repeatedly. The intendedfloating device 160 may also be disposable only.

Alternatively or optionally, the inflation behavior may be activated bythe user. For example, when the operator of the UAV system determinesthat the floating device 160 needs to be inflated, he or she may send asignal to start inflation.

In some embodiments, it should be noted that the floating device 160does not need to have an electric wheel 148. In other embodiments, asshown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the floating device 160 is part of thehousing of the electric wheel 148. The floating device 160 may include aplurality of air bags that can be inflated and deflated. It is easy tounderstand that the number of air bags is the same as that of theelectric wheel 148, and a plurality of air bags are evenly arranged onthe left and right sides of the cabin.

Referring to FIG. 26 as an example, the passenger cabin 140 may have anextended floating device 160 arranged on either side of the cabin 140,which may b e used as a waterborne landing gear, that is, the floatingdevice 160 includes a long strip structure that can be inflated anddeflated. FIG. 26 shows that the length direction of the long stripstructure is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cabin, and thereare two long strip structures arranged on the left and right sides ofthe cabin, respectively. In FIG. 26 , these floating devices 160 areshown as deflated. FIG. 32 shows a side view of the deflated floatingdevice 160. As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 , the floating device 160engaged with the passenger cabin 140 is shown as inflated.

Referring to FIG. 31 as another example, the flight platform 101 mayhave four floating devices 160 arranged on the top of each of the fourelectric wheels 148. These floating devices 160 may alternatively beattached to or close to the electric wheel 148 at other positions. InFIG. 31 , these floating devices 160 engaged with the electric wheel 148are shown as deflated. FIGS. 33 and 34 show an inflated floating device160 of the flight platform 101.

Many changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosedembodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustratedembodiments are proposed only for the purpose of example. For example,despite the fact that the elements of the technical solution arepresented below in some combination, it must be clearly understood thatthe embodiment includes other combinations of fewer, more or differentelements, which are disclosed herein, even if such combinations are notlimited initially.

Therefore, specific embodiments and applications of VTOL flightplatforms with interchangeable cabins have been disclosed. However, itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that more modificationsother than those already described are possible without departing fromthe concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments areunrestricted. In addition, when interpreting the specifications, allterms shall be interpreted in the manner as extensive as possible thatis consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “include” and“contain” should be interpreted as referring to an element, component orstep in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced element,component or step may exist, or be utilized, or be combined with otherelements, components or steps not explicitly referenced. Non-substantivechanges in the claimed subject matter known now or expected later to beseen by those skilled in the art are clearly expected to be equivalentwithin the scope of the technical solution of the specifications.Therefore, obvious substitutions now or hereafter known to those ofordinary people skilled in the art are defined as being within the scopeof the defined elements. Therefore, the technical solution of thespecifications should be understood as including the contentsspecifically explained and described above, the contents that areconceptually equivalent, the contents that can be obviously replaced,and the contents that basically include the basic idea of theembodiment. In addition, in the case where the specifications involve atleast one element selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . .and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring at least one elementin the group to include N, rather than A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of navigating a detached cabin of a UAV(unmanned aerial vehicle) on water, which is characterized bycomprising: providing a UVA having a) a plurality of lift propellers; b)a cabin engaged with said plurality of lift propellers; c) a waterpropulsion system engaged with the cabin to push the cabin in a forwarddirection when the cabin is at least partially immersed in water; d) atleast one water inlet engaged with the water propulsion system; whereinthe water propulsion system includes a motor, a water propeller and acylinder; wherein the cylinder is fixedly connected to the cabin; thecylinder is provided with an open end and a blocking end; the cylinderhas an axis and said axis is parallel to a longitudinal axis of thecabin; and the open end of the cylinder faces a rear end of the UAV; thewater inlet is positioned on a side wall of the cylinder; wherein themotor is positioned inside the cylinder, and a body of the motor isfixedly connected with an inner wall of the cylinder; wherein the waterpropeller is positioned inside the cylinder and close to the open end ofthe cylinder, and the water propeller is connected with an output shaftof the motor; and turning the water propeller to move the cabin in aforward direction while the cabin is detached from said plurality oflift propellers and the cabin is floating on water.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein providing said plurality of liftpropellers on a flight platform, and the cabin is detachably attached tothe flight platform.
 3. The method according to claim 2 furthercomprising providing a pair of main wings coupled to the flightplatform.
 4. The method according to claim 3, further comprisingproviding a pair of parallel linear supports coupled to said pair ofmain wings.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said pluralityof lift propellers are disposed on said pair of parallel linearsupports.
 6. The method according to claim 2 further providing afloatation device coupled to the cabin wherein when the cabin isseparated from the flight platform, the cabin can float on water.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6 further providing a first energy storageunit arranged in the cabin, and is configured to supply energy to thewater propulsion system.
 8. The method according to claim 7 furtherproviding a second energy storage unit arranged in the flight platform,and the flight platform can fly without being attached to the cabin. 9.The method according to claim 8, further providing at least oneelectrically-driven wheel coupled to the cabin configured to move thecabin on a ground.
 10. The method according to claim 8, furtherproviding at least one electrically-driven wheel on the flight platformconfigured to move the flight platform on a ground without beingattached to the cabin.